Classic win: Ellis, Wiggins lift KU past Duke

Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins hugs teammate Wayne Selden following the Jayhawks' 94-83 win over Duke during the Champions Classic matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago. At right is KU guard Frank Mason.

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Kansas basketball v. Duke

Images from the Champions Classic matchup between the Jayhawks and Blue Devils at the United Center in Chicago.

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Chicago  Kansas University’s first victory in three tries at the Champions Classic proved to be one worth waiting for.

The Jayhawks, who fell to Kentucky and Michigan State the first two years of the three-year, early-season college basketball extravaganza, rode a career high 24 points from sophomore Perry Ellis and 22 from freshman Andrew Wiggins, plus 15 from freshmen Wayne Selden and Frank Mason to a 94-83 victory over Duke in the United Center.

“We’d like to have won all three,” KU coach Bill Self said, “but I will say this: It’s good for a young team to have success. I’m happy about that.”

The youthful Jayhawks won this one during crunch time.

With the score tied 79-79, KU went on a 9-2 run to lead, 88-81, at 1:02.

First, Selden tipped in a Mason miss to bust the deadlock, then Chicago native Jamari Traylor drove the lane for a bucket, and KU grabbed an 83-79 advantage at 2:06.

Next, after a Duke bucket, Wiggins hit a deep jumper, then followed with a slam dunk. Naadir Tharpe responded with a free throw to open the seven-point advantage.

“The hype was big. I tried to block it out,” said Wiggins, who cut his hair for his first huge game, a showdown against Duke’s Jabari Parker, who finished with 27 points and nine boards.

“Our names on the jersey don’t say Parker and Wiggins, but Kansas and Duke. Not one player was going to win it, but the team,” Wiggins added.

Of his jumper and dunk late, Wiggins acknowledged, “It meant a lot. Big players make big plays. I’m glad we came out on top.”

Power forward Ellis, who returned two minutes after suffering a bout of cramps with four minutes to play, passed his career high of 23 points set against Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament last year.

“The key was getting the ball inside and attacking. That’s what we tried to do,” said Ellis, who had nine rebounds and three steals.

“It was a great challenge,” he added of going against power forward Parker. “He has great moves. He is a great player. We had to adjust to his game (19 first-half points). It took awhile to do.”

Wiggins, who is the same height as Parker at 6-8 but gives up 30 pounds, spent some time guarding Parker the second half.

“It’s all pride. You take pride in what you do, whether offense or defense,” Wiggins said.

It seems he actually asked KU coach Self to take his turn on Chicago native Parker, Self allowing the match-up to happen at times the second half.

“Jabari lived up to his billing. Andrew lived up to his billing late,” Self said, adding, “Perry was one who gave us the chance to be in the game. Perry played great. I’ve been on him to be more aggressive. He was great.”

Other KU heroes: Mason, who hit 11 of 12 free throws and finished with his 15 points in 23 minutes; Joel Embiid who had five assists the first half. And Brannen Greene went for five points the first half when KU needed a boost. He didn’t play the second half as Self searched for the best match-ups “to try to win the game.”

Parker outscored Wiggins, 19-6, the first half, carrying Duke to a 42-40 lead.

Parker, 6-8 from Simeon High, hit four threes in five tries — six of 10 shots total. He also had five rebounds the first half. For the game, he hit nine of 18 shots, to Wiggins’ nine of 15.

Wiggins hit three of five first-half shots and had four rebounds, but missed the last 9:30 of the half after picking up his second foul.

“It was tough sitting out at first. As a competitor, you want to play,” Wiggins said, noting he was quite nervous for the prime-time game.

“Ask Perry Ellis how I was in the locker room. It was nerve-wracking,” Wiggins said smile.

Parker eventually picked up his second foul with 1:30 left in the half.

Ellis led KU the first half with 10 points off 4-of-6 shooting.

Duke’s early 8-2 lead was erased by an 11-2 KU run that gave the Jayhawks a 13-10 advantage at 12:34.

KU’s Traylor had the highlight-reel plays in the surge, first feeding Wiggins for a dunk, then forcibly blocking the shot of Rodney Hood and scoring a dunk off a pass from Wiggins.

Parker hit a three and was fouled by Traylor, hitting a free throw, then another three and Duke led, 17-15 at 11:33.

Duke was up 24-23 when KU’s Brannen Greene swished a three then a deep two as the Jayhawks led, 28-26 at 7:31.

KU built the lead to a half-high six points (32-26, 34-28) but Parker scored seven of nine points for Duke to get the Devils back in front, 37-36 and 40-38 following a two and three.

Mason did exactly what we needed from him. He drove to the basket and he made free throws. His line looks better than Tharpe's, but it's still a little early to crown him the best PG. I still trust Tharpe better to run the offense. Once Mason gets a knack for running the show then it may be a toss-up. Mason's definitely a better attacker, but he's not as good a jump shooter. Tharpe right now is best at probing the defense and finding the open man.

I agree but let's not use Mason to push Tharpe out of the picture. Not that you're doing that but I think we all have tendency to think it's one or the other. Tharpe showed a good amount of poise himself but I have to agree that Mason is just an absolute bulldog. He is ice cold. This is his 2nd game as a Jayhawk and there is no one else who I trust more with the ball. There is no other freshman point guard, including the Harrison twin, who I would rather have than Mason RIGHT NOW. It's possible their ceiling is higher but no other point guard has demonstrated the type of poise that he has while penetrating and knocking down free throws against a team like Duke on the big stage. My favorite part is his facial expression sends a message that he knew he had this in him all along.

I think Tharpe has a better shot than Mason & Mason's a better penetrator than Tharpe. They actually complement each other when the opposing team's lineup makes us go small. Saw dome good steals by Tharpe AND Mason as well.

1.Mason is our BEST point guard.
-- > AGREED. He was electric out there, while Tharpe made a number of freshman quality mistakes. We'll see them on the floor together like they were last night when we play smaller teams like Duke. I wouldn't be shocked to see Mason getting more minutes than Tharpe by conference season.

2.Ellis is our foundation.
--> AGREED, he is going to have an awesome year. The only thing that stopped him was poor hydration last night. He ate Duke's "interior" for lunch. And on that note, why the heck does Duke have so many seasons where they don't have any good post players?!? On the rare season they do, they win national titles. Crazy. They had NO ONE down low.

3.Selden knows how to find the open man down low.
--> Selden was great all night. He was Mr Everything and always seemed to be in the right place doing the right things. Lots of little things added up to a fabulous game. He is also going to be great this year. Might be my favorite by the end of the year.

4.Embiid will become a beast defensively...more so than Aldridge (ALDRICH) and Withey.
--> Meh. I was not impressed with Embiid last night. He had a number of breakdowns. As a concept I agree but I am not sure if he will be that beast by the end of this season. He did have a few nice passes out of the post but I wanted to reach through my tv and strangle him when he atempted that three pointer in the 2nd half. WTF!?!

5.Greene can knock out the three ball.
--> He started hot then kinda spazzed out. He started jawing at a Duke player and got going a little TOO hard and lost control a bit. But if he gave us no more than those two buckets at the perfect time then he was a success.

6.Frankamp should have red shirted.
--> We'll need him at times this year. If Tharpe or Mason get injured Frankamp will be needed. No worries. Better to have him and not need him.

7.Traylor is UNDERRATED !
--> Agreed. He was good last night. He still needs to work on not trying to bludgeon people when he blocks shots but we have the bodies to survive a few unnecessary fouls.

8.Black can't believe how good of a team he plays for.
--> Black had no one to play against last night. He is too big and slow to lay against a team with a roster like Duke that has no center. But yes, he has to be happy with his decision.

9.KU should win the National Championship.
--> KU CAN win a national championship, but I won't say they SHOULD. There are some great teams out there. All four teams that played last night plus Louisville all have a great shot at the title.

Tharpe is going to be very important to this team. You forgot that. If Self said this in August, I'm going to remember it through the year. "Should" should be "could." Finally, as good as Embiid might be this year, to ask an 18-year old to play like a fifth-year 23 year-old is asking quite a lot.

A little concerned going into this game, but so glad to see Wiggins come alive early and definitely late when we needed some energy to pull away. I love how down to earth Andrew is listening to his comments after the game....only thinking about college ball now. Hopefully Tharpe can sharpen his game. Way too many turnovers for our upperclassman leader, if he is not stronger Mason will take over the point quickly. Awesome game to start a special season with a big win over blue-blood Duke to win our first game in the Champions Classic.

I know, right? It's the first time in 10-1/2 years that Kansas has beaten Duke. Not since Nick Collison's 33-point 19-rebound game against the Blue Devils in the 2003 NCAA Sweet 16 has Kansas won a game against Duke.

I know this was billed as a game of Wiggins vs. Parker, but Perry Ellis was the star of this show for Kansas. He kept Kansas in it when Wiggins went out with two fouls, and he kept Kansas in it when we fell behind 56-51 in the second half. Game ball to Perry Ellis!

Duke had no answer for Ellis. He was scoring at will all night, but especially in the second half. At halftime I told my wife that if Kansas is smart they will go to Ellis early and often, and try to get Parker DQ'd with fouls. Turned out to be a pretty good strategy.

My thoughts: Great win vs Duke on a National Stage. Glad to see KU close out a game. Only one game, but if the frosh can put up numbers close to last night, we are going to be blessed with a great season. Right now the rest of the Big 12 is a bit "freaked out" after last night. Self and Co. are going to have to adjust to the NCAA's attempt to make college hoops look more like the NBA. FT% and depth are going to get us through our non-conference. Wiggins is the only hyped frosh heading home with a "W". Rock Chalk.

We should have won this game. We are the more talented team. Looking at the players on the floor, again, we simply are more talented.

And Self made a masterful move, going small. I would not have done it then. But going with Tharpe and Mason, and at times with only one post player, was the game changer.

I have to say this .. with credit to Keegan and babyphog (and "kind of credit" to kingfisher posted his distaste for Tharpe), Mason is the freaking real deal. He performed like a fearless veteran. Self may not start him, but Mason deserves to start. So does Tharpe. They both do. Nice problem to have.

Watching all the highlights after the game, it is amazing how Ellis 24 points gets lost in the freshman frenzy. Absolutely great game.

Agreed that Duke looked a little overrated in this matchup. Parker is no joke, but they showed no real post presence and had no answer for Ellis. That said, if Duke made some FTs it's a different ballgame.

We still need some work. Need to learn to guard without fouling, and we have to come out in the first half and exectute offensively. Ellis should have had more than 10 at the break. It took a long time intothe game before he even got an offensive touch.

I disagree. If Duke had made 75% from the foul like, then I think that Kansas would have fouled more, due playing from behind for more of the game.

And as far is playing the IFs game, I'm only suggesting that the game was even closer than the final outcome and I expect from Duke to have better foul shooting. Thus Duke would have led more. I felt most of the game as though Kansas was better and Kansas controlled the game. Had Duke led more, the game could have easily shifted to Duke being in control.

I can't agree, if they even make 1 free throw more than they did, the entire game changes. Just like you can't say that "of so and so was playing you should just put in thier season averages and they win the game" is so and so WAS playing it would be a completely different ball game.

The move to the small lineup really caught me off guard but could not have worked better. When you have Mason and Naadir in at the same time, it's not just small, it's really small. But boy how those guys performed. And Self once again shows why he is so good.

Not much you can say that others haven't already covered but I am happy for Wiggins...on a night when it looked like Jabari was going to get all of the tongues-a-waggin, Wiggins really showed his toughness. And I Love, Love, Love the fact that he was begging to guard Parker.

Thank you for the acknowledgement HEM. You basketball comments are always well considered and thought out. It is obvious to me that you know the game. I am fortunate to have seen Mason more than you when I made the comments about his ability to help us significantly this season. I agree that going small with Tharpe and Mason caused Duke some match up problems. Continue to start Tharpe, but Mason will continue to get major minutes. His play hopefully will make recruiting another point guard less crucial. The kid is a baller and has a bit of the Sherron swagger.

Welcome back babyphog. We kept asking you how you knew so much on Mason. Did you see him play as a prep, or were you around the team during the summer? He's definitely a gamer.

I was really surprised how effective he was when playing alongside of Tharpe. I don't think that it's a primary lineup either, but definitely a lineup to keep in mind for specific matchups. The great thing is that Mason should only get better. He needs to improve his jump shot and when he gets more comfortable running the offense he could be scary good. I'd be a little concerned about him playing out of control like a young Sherron, but the new rules will soften the blow.

Jonathan, I had the opportunity to see him some this summer and his speed and strength were just off the charts. I also am extremely fortunate to get to attend an occasional practice. Thank you for the welcome back.

Withey is standing on top of the circle. It was the correct call. No charge.

That said, Jayhawk on Jayhawk crime always makes me a bit sad, especially when they were teammates. What a filthy dunk. Henry has been a beast for the Lakers this year. Huge improvement now that he is healthy.

Love Frank Mason and what he has been able to do but Tharpe is still our guy. Tharpe went 2/3, why is that important? Because he had around 10 open threes he could have shot but instead let the defense collapse on him and swung the ball the eventually got us a mismatch. That's what we need at our point and he won't get a ton of credit for it. Mason drove better but when getting us into a good offensive set, Tharpe did better. However, we might need to start Mason with Tharpe.

Tharpe

Mason

Selden

Wiggins

Ellis

It's a small ball line up but it proved to much for duke. Mason will be a special player but let's not crown him yet. Self has said Tharpe has been our best player and we know Self doesn't say nice things unless they are true.

I know others have already mentioned this but wow Ellis was the man last night. Like Jack mentioned above the lineup with Mason and Tharpe was pretty sweet and a definite game changer. They both are just so quick and you can see why Self liked Mason. Mason is a bulldog and keeps on coming. That toughness matched with athletic ability will continue to make this team better and better.

-The new rules made this game painful to watch. At times just when you thought there was going to be some "Flow" to the game...another whistle was blown and the clock was stopped. There were 53 fouls in this game. That is way too many. I can completely understand out around the perimeter with the hand checking and what not, but this ticky tacky stuff in the post takes away from the game. It it looks like it doesn't belong in the game, it probably shouldn't be called. I hope they have some meetings about this around this country.

-After watching last nights game any common fan that doesn't know a whole lot about basketball could see how much Kansas utilizes it's "Big Men" within their offense. I mean, if I was Jahlil Okafor there really is only once choice between Kansas and Duke. I know Jones factors into the equation, but I think it's pretty evident just from that game last night which is the better choice for Okafor.

-Kansas started off slow last night, but I think that squad last night looked better then at any point last year. Just my opinion. The potential for this team to grow and get better is off the charts.

Tharpe/Mason-Since Tharpe/Mason and Mason/Tharpe is a big topic of conversation around here we'll start with them. Tharpe's first 3 minutes were not pretty as he had 2 of his 3 turnovers in those opening minutes, but I'll give him benefit of the doubt for first game jitters, which is probably understandable considering it's Duke, it's in Chicago, and all the famous faces that were in attendance.

I think Tharpe/Mason getting 28 and 23 minutes respectively is probably going to be the recipe this year. I mean, Self putting both Tharpe and Mason in at crunch time last night shows Self's confidence that he has in both. Mason looked incredible last night even though he still had some Freshmen bone head mistakes like the one at the end of the half. You got to have shot clock and time awareness and just hold for the last shot there. That was a bonehead freshmen mistake.

With that said, Mason's ability to get to the rack and draw fouls with the new rules may be KU's secret weapon coming off the bench. I have no problem with Frank Mason having a Sherron Collins type of role. Should be fun to watch.

Wiggins-Wow! I think the refs should keep him contained like a caged tiger all season. Wiggins 4th foul was ridiculous, but players are going to have to adjust. Wiggins little step back move on the half post to put KU up by 4 was huge. I don't think people realize how big that shot was. That was a big time play right there and he made it look easy. Those are confidence building plays right there. I said Wiggins would get 17 and 9 and he got 22 and 8. Pretty darn good for spending a lot of time on the bench with foul trouble.

Ellis-There is really nothing I need to say about Ellis. He was unbelievable. His footwork is amazing and the jump he's made from last year is unreal. I said way back when over the summer that Ellis could be KU's leading scorer and Wiggins the MVP.....I think that very well could hold true. What a game.

Tarik Black-I love his hustle. He was victim of some touchy stuff in the beginning, which stinks, but it made guys like Traylor and Embiid get some spotlight, which was probably really good for them. Tarik will be fine and he's going to be needed on this squad.

Selden-It's amazing how quiet this guy was all night when surrounded by guys like Wiggins, Ellis, and Embiid. He is smooth. I love that little fade away jumper with the jump stop he has. It's pretty. 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. What a line. He did a little bit of everything.

Traylor-I mean, the kid played really well. I really didn't like Traylor and Black guarding Parker at times and I think Self should have made some better adjustments there, but you get that kind of production out of Traylor all season...that's exactly what you want out of him. He had that nice dunk in traffic off the feed from Wiggins and he had that fantastic drive up and over Parker I believe. Who thought Traylor had that in his arsenal? Not me, but it was pretty.

Embiid-He's raw, but he's fun to watch. He has "It" whatever that is. You always seem to be glued to him when he's on the court. His footwork is pretty damn good, but he's got to work on those double teams. Just like I firmly believe Self should have bailed out EJ on that 10 second violation last year against Michigan...I firmly believe Self should have bailed Embiid out in the corner when he got in trouble that ended up being a turnover. Embiid creates mismatches and is an awesome anchor behind Wiggins/Selden/Ellis.

AWIII-He looked a little off last night. I am not sure if the lights and cameras had anything to do with it, but he looked a step slow and completely out of sync. I mean, his FT missed badly. I will chalk it up to just a bad night, which players have.

Frankamp-As someone else state...should he have red-shirted? I don't know, but 1 minute isn't appealing, but I also don't know where he would have found time in last nights game either. It's a tough spot. He needs to keep his head up because he's going to be a great Jayhawk.

Greene-Last but not least...Greene provided the spark last night that I think we all believe would happen coming off the bench. He hit those two big shots to give momentum to KU after KU opened the game a little slow. Greene needs to work on his ball handling, but that kid can flat out stroke it. I think Greene's minutes will increase once he can get familar and catch up to the speed of the college game.

After Parker went off for 19 in the first half Self's half time tweaks and personal changes held him to 8 in the second half. For backup, did you notice the huge improvement in team defense so far this year? That is a Bill Self trademark and while not yet in full swing is showing promise.

Down the stretch the Dukie's fouled on just about every KU possession, mostly by way of the handcheck change. KU fouled seldom but still got stops, not enough to keep Self's blood pressure down, but enough to ice the game. BTW, what about that foul shooting by KU?

I kind of disagree...Yeah Self made some adjustments, but it took him 30 minutes and literally 23 points later for Self to make the necessary adjustment. Self is so stubborn at times it drives me bananas.

You know it is actually REALLY hard to make large defensive adjustments during timeouts... Sometimes it takes halftime to get them in place. That is what was needed to stop Parker, a LARGE defensive adjustment.

Eh, you do realize that there isn't much of an adjustment to make when an elite player simply drains several shots in a row, right? All of his shots were contested. Outside of knocking the guy down and giving him three free throws there isn't much more to do than that. The guy was stroking it.

1] Despite an outstanding performance by Parker, despite being a non-factoer in the first half, despite the incredible game by Perry, Frank, Wayne, etc...the lasting impression for the national TV audience will be Andrew's break away dunk on Parker and the sheer fire of energy show by the Hawks right after the bucket and call!!!

2] The good - Okafor watched Jo Jo and knows right now, he himself is the better center. The bad - Tyus watched Frank and Naadir and saw PT will be a battle.
The ugly - Duke's post play. I'm afraid these guys are Duke bound come Friday!

3] SPECIL PROPS to all the Hawk fans who went to the game. The noise and enthusiasm and sheer numbers will not be lost on potential recruits...and especiaily their parents!!

4] Does Coach K look like a cast member from The Walking Dead or what!!!!!

5] In the category of "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while", Dickie V's suggestion that the NCAA up the foul total to 6 per player, like the NBA, because of the new rules, actually made sense!!!

6] Anyone notice the box of Kleenes next to Vitale during the broadcast...it hurt to see his beloved Dukies lose!!

7] Kentucky loses, KU beats Duke, the only way last night could have been better would have been for the cops to come down and handcuff Calipari for tax evasion!!

8] Telling it like it is.....Randle and Parker are really, really, really good!! The first draft pick may end up being more for what that team needs are rather than who is the best basketball
player.

I totally disagree about 2). If you don't think Tyus Jones watched that game and saw a low ranked freshman PG taking major minutes from the established vet and thought "If THAT guy can do it I certainly can" then Jones is not the type of competitor I want to see in a Kansas uniform.

And as for 7) I would add that Barry Hinson-led Southern Illinois win over Mizzou last night would have been the perfect cherry on top. Alas, SIU faded in the end. So close...

Gotta wonder what Friday will bring as far as those recruits go. Do they want to go to the team that won? The team they can help most? The team that suits their style better? You just never know with these guys.

Wiggy had a solid game despite sitting out 12 minutes in the first half. Mason is a stud. I would almost take him right now over EJ as far as PG duties go. Perry really carried us. Hes a man. Hes 40. This team is only going to get a lot better still. Yikes!

If I am in Okafor's camp...I can't help but see how obvious it was that Kansas used and played through it's "Big Men". I mean, I don't understand why not every top big man in the country wouldn't want to play Kansas.

Last night couldn't have been any more obvious if I was having difficulty choosing between Kansas and Duke. It's a no brainer.

Sorry, Billy, but please let go of the EJ-hate. There is NO way Mason can take over for PG, since EJ is no longer here. (If a whole NEW KU team beating Duke cannot make you forget about losing to Michigan, then I feel bad for you, my friend.) It seems to be just like blaming Sherron for losing to UNI, or blaming Collison for losing to Syracuse, or blaming Tyrel Reed+Markieff for losing to VCU--> there is simply no point. We make the Tourney every single year. Please try to let go of the hate. Maybe watch the 2012 Champgame run (Detroit, Purdue, NCState, UNC, OhioState...), and maybe at KState and at IowaState games from '13, if you would like to remember Elijah Johnson in a much better, positive manner? Take care, fellow Jayhawk.

It's not you only it's many fans. Comparing and trying to replace. I have no issue with comparing. Frank Mason is a better ball handler and a better passer. EJ is more athletic and a better defender and shooter. Does that mean I want Mason to replace EJ? No because EJ was a 4 year guy. If you said Selby or Henry rule would be different to me because they were 1 year guys. But wanting to replace comes off as unappreciative even if you don't intend it that way. If Mason played on last years team I would have no issue. Just like I have no issue with saying Tharpe should have started over EJ. But they played together.

I dont know why we are talking about EJ now? He's gone, I wish him best. But he absolutely was an incredible athlete, but one seriously hampered by self-doubt. The only reason he wasnt drafted by the NBA was purely mental: He, nor Self, could harness the anti-KSU and anti-IowaState version of Elijah Johnson. He almost single-handedly helped KU beat Purdue in that Tourney game with play after play in the final 3min, and literally "ended" Robbie Hummel's college career. I just rewatched that dvd a few days ago. What he did in Ames,Iowa in Feb'13 is legend. Again, my point: if EJ had scored 20+ in half our games last year, he is in the NBA as a 6'4 PG, with hops to match. But he couldnt harness the mentality. Now that he only has to do it for himself, maybe he figures it out, how to play mad all the time. Only he can do it now...

Totally agree game ball to Ellis, although Wiggins did his thing when it mattered...players that step up in the final four minutes and elevate their game when the pressure is highest are hard to come by...we've got one!

The best thing to happen to Wayne Selden Jr.: Andrew Wiggins. Imagine the pressure Selden would be under if Wiggins hadn't come to KU! Wiggins has absorbed all of the hype and attention up to this point (well maybe not all, but 99%, right?) which had allowed Selden to just focus on playing his game, which he has done phenomenally well! He played brilliantly last night!

The best thing to happen to Andrew Wiggins: Wayne Selden Jr.! Ok this one's debatable, but Selden's strong play at guard has to alleviate some of the pressure on Wiggins. Not to mention he and Ellis kept KU in the game in the first half when Wiggins was on the bench with 2.

Our defense looked INFINITELY better last night than the others games we've played. So much faster and tighter! There were still a few plays that left us scratching our heads and I'm sure raised Self's blood pressure, but overall last night's team looked more like a Bill Self coached squad. This is so important for making those runs that KU has been famous for the last few years.

Frank Mason...all I can say is, Wow! Whoever coined the term bulldog for Mason was spot on. I know there will be plenty of people calling for him to be the starting PG...but remember how Collins impacted the game in '08 as the scrappy, energetic 6th man, I think it was a big reason we won the title that year. Tharpe played well last night, he just has to suppress his natural inclination to start taking too many shots if his team is falling behind. He has too many weapons around him to be "the guy" on offense. If Tharpe can continue to facilitate, instead of trying to dominate, he's our best option to start at PG. Mason will get his minutes and deservedly so!

Counting down the hours to the next game (a week is too long to wait!) ROCK CHALK!!

I don't often have anything good to say about Duke's foul-mouthed coach, but I thought this showed some class:

''We didn't play a bad game tonight, we played well,'' Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ''We didn't play well on the defensive end in the second half and in big moments, we weren't able to get a stop. Part of that is they're good. They're really good.''

I've been a Jayhawk since 1966 and a loyal hoops fan the entire time. Please help me, my fellow posters, but can anyone name a freshman point guard who performed in their second game any better than Frank did in his second game???

Heinrich?, Miles?, Taylor?, Jordan?, Valentine? Robinson?........, ,I can't think of anyone who played with such a combination of calm and cool. He looked like a friggin' senior out there last night!!!!

KU can go "big", Black, Embiid, Ellis, Wiggins, Selden or go "small" Tharpe, Mason, Wiggins, Greene, Ellis as well as an almost unlimited number of permutations in between.

The 2013-14 Kansas Jayhawks are just going to annihilate some teams this year!!!

No. He is an absolute beast. KU is set at PG for the next 4 years. Not only that, he is the type of bulldog that Bill Self LOVES. That's partially why he still loves Sheron like a son. The guy played his heart out and then some. Billy isn't going anywhere as long as he has a pg like that.

Oak, I like your take. But recall Sherron was like a stick of dynamite from Day 1: he would come in off the bench and outrace everybody down the court with the dribble and finish in the paint...and also would drain threes with no hesitation and perfect "pure" form. He did have some turnovers (more than Russell Robinson), but who cares. Sherron was awesome, just like every Bill Self starting guard has been. No complaints with any (Russell, Sherron, Mario, Tyshawn, EJ, Tharpe, Mason). None.

I was surprised by a couple things. First, how well the freshmen played against a team with really good talent and a lot more experience on the floor. Great job, 'Hawks! I was also surprised to see Greene come off the bench and get so many more minutes than AWIII. Seems like we were just reading about how Greene "escaped" being redshirted. Man, that dude has a sweet stroke!

Kansas' win showed they could play with the big dogs. Something I was worried about after the exhibitions and first season game against weaker teams. Kansas' win gives much needed confidence and bodes well for future progress.

On-ball defense still needs to improve. A LOT!

Personnel: Tarik Black and AWIII did not score. Surprise! And just who is this "Mason" kid???? Wow! Sherron-a-tron!

Only three 3-pointers? That ain't gonna get it done, son. Would be nice to see Wiggins and Selden be able to shoot that shot. They're gonna need it at the next level anyway. Did Naadir even attempt one?

Perry Ellis' performance tonight states the case perfectly for the kind of maturation that comes when college players stay in school. Of course at Kansas, we have learned this lesson well.

Jabari Parker and Julius Randle are ahead of Wiggins right now. But not by much. My feeling is that Wiggins has the most room to improve, followed by Randle, and then Parker (who seems to be playing VERY well, perhaps close to his ceiling out of the gate). It seems Wigs plays better without the afro wig.

A win over Dook is oh, so sweet!

KYs talk of an undefeated season is down the tubes a couple of games in. Kansas moves up one on KY on the all-time wins list!

BONUS: Xavier Henry is a player! If you don't know, you better ax somebody.

But you can get in the way .. you just have to camp out the night before, go stand in your spot, nail your feet to the floor, hold your breath, remain perfectly still, and hope that ref doesn't see you flinch.